Nanaimo Big Band Festival

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Friday, September 2nd, 2022
12:00 PM to 9:00 PM

The 3-Day Nanaimo Big Band Festival kicks off on LabourDay weekend with three days of fabulous Big Band sounds in Maffeo Sutton Park onbeautiful Nanaimo Harbour on Vancouver Island. Come Dance the Weekend Away…listen to your favourite songs from the Big Band Era of great music. www.nanaimobigbandfest.comTickets:

3 Day Passes and Single tickets availablethrough the Port Theatre $20 - $149. (incl. 2 albums)

https://www.porttheatre.com/events/nanaimo-big-band-festival-2022-3-day-festival-pass/The lineup…

Friday September2:  5:30 p.m. Opener: “King ofSwing” featuring the Music of Count Basie withthe Vancouver Island Repertory Jazz Orchestra(VIRJO). Guest Singers: Ty Koch and Teighan CouchThere is no jazz trailblazer likethe venerable William James “Count” Basie. The Count Basie Orchestra sounddefined an era and dominated the jazz scene in the 1930’s, 40’s and even laterin the 50’s and 60’s! The VIRJO will pay tribute to the monumental music ofthis jazz big band leader with an outstanding 17-piece band tackling thegreatest hits of the Basie Orchestra! You will hear some of Basie’s most lovedcompositions and arrangements including One O’clock Jump, April in Paris,Shiny Stockings, Lil’ Darlin, Corner Pocket and many more! There is no big band sound like the distinctive Count Basie sound -sophisticated yet playful music that the whole family can hum and dance alongto! While it is truly hard to replicate the exact sound of Basie’s music, VIRJOcreates an engaging and authentic representation that makes you feel like Basieis musically present.7:00 p.m. Headliner: KenLavigne presents “Let Me Be Frank” withthe Vancouver Island Repertory Jazz Orchestra. Singer Ken Lavigne returns to thestage for his first in person show on Vancouver Island in over two years withLet me be Frank! celebrating the velvet tones of much-loved crooners from FrankSinatra to Michael Bublé. Audiences can expect to hear your favourite songs – FlyMe to the Moon, All of Me, Sway, As Time Goes By, Save the Last Dance andmore… performed with undeniable style with the Vancouver Island Repertory JazzOrchestra. For Ken, this music evokes a moreromantic time in history, a time when dating and love were a little moremysterious, a little more special than simply a photo or status change onFacebook. “The crooners’ corner is all about simplicity, smooth vocals, andstyle,” he says. “For me it evokes a time when the anticipation of going out onthe town came with a real sense of occasion, when air travel was glamorous,when being in love was worth singing about and the future was hopeful.”  Saturday September3: 5:30 p.m. Opener: Nightand Day: Honouring the Great American Songbook with the Nico Rhodes JazzOrchestra.You may think “I’m Old Fashioned,”but we’d like to invite you “Somewhere over the Rainbow”, to lounge all throughthe “Night (and Day)” with up-and-coming local vocal phenoms, Buwa and JoshuaHolloway. It may be a bit of “A Sentimental Journey” but we thinkyou will see nothing but “Blue Skies” once you hear the music. Backed by ahandpicked collective of some of the finest musicians from across VancouverIsland - it promises to be a “De-lovely” evening.7:00 p.m. Headliner: JoelleRabu in Come to the Cabaret with the NicoRhodes Jazz OrchestraTake off with a soaring review ofclassic European and American cabaret songs, including the works of Edith Piaf,Irving Berlin, Gilbert Becaud, Joe Dassin, and Kander & Ebb. Blendingclassic sensibilities and modern flair; experience an evening of originalarrangements of timeless hits like La Vie en Rose, What’ll I do? Maybethis Time and more.With an international careerspanning three decades - two-time Jessie Award winner and Juno nominee, JoëlleRabu has won international critical acclaim for her theatrical portrayal ofthe Parisian chanteuse, Edith Piaf, the iconic singer whose recordings wereheard throughout Joëlle’s French upbringing. Joëlle has toured throughout fivecontinents and won numerous accolades for her torch singing style and engagingstage presence. She has starred in many theatre productions and has madeseveral guest appearances with major symphony orchestras across Canada and theUSA. Well-known for her ability to delve into several musical styles, Joëlle’sinterpretation of classic European cabaret-style tunes, jazz melodies, andheart wrenching torch songs has left audiences spellbound. Sunday September4: Big BandSunday – In the Mood to Swing! Gather yourfriends, put on your dancing shoes, and join us for cold drinks and hot movesas Maffeo Sutton Parks comes alive with the glory of swing with three bandstaking to the stage.11 a.m.Opener: NicoRhodes Trio 12:30 p.m. Opener: Dock Side Drive is one of the West Coast’snewest swing & show bands. Fresh off theatre and festival tours, thisdynamic band entertains audiences with the music of the 1930s through currentday arranged in their own original swing style.Dock Side Drive is an 8-piece bandoffering a blend of tunes that will usher you through more than three decadesof song, including the music of RayCharles, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, The Beatles, andother favourites. Youwon’t want to miss the chance to see and hear this ensemble performing well-knownswing, blues, jazz and show tunes! It’s guaranteed you’ll be swingin’ andsingin’ along!2:00 p.m. Headliner: Kick back on a late summer Sundayafternoon with a program of big band swing classics! Take in the sights and sounds ofthe Vancouver Island Repertory Jazz Orchestra presenting a blast from thepast – music of the Golden Era of Swing. Joined by special guest,Vancouver based clarinet wizard JamesDanderfer, VIRJOperforms the music of the great bands and their arrangers, such as Glenn Miller,Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, and Duke Ellington. Listen to big bandtunes from the 1920s to 40’s like In the Mood, Begin the Beguine, Take the ATrain, Sing, Sing, Sing and many more - just as audiences did back then! Giving Back to our community: $2. from every FestivalTicket sold will go to the Marianne Turley Memorial Fund – supportingthe Vancouver Island Symphony’s Grade 4 Music Education Program (The PicturesProject). Celebrating Marianne’s contribution to our community.